Thursday, September 9, 2010

Fresh Meat...and No Cheesy Suit...With Correction...

The Third District House race just got a little bit more interesting with the addition of Dan Hill running as a conservative Independent. With the democrat contender holding on with a 17 percent share in a recent "who you gonna vote for" poll...a three-way split still leaves Adrian Smith as the front-runner.

Hill says he and Smith share similar beliefs...except he isn't reluctant to take on a larger leadership role...something Smith hasn't done. Smith does get points for listening to his constituents.

I hope Smith finds time for at least 3 or 4 debates...I don't expect it though. I think Hill is a viable candidate and deserves a listen...especially when incumbents get too comfortable in their position...you never know.

Correction 9/10/2010...an email this morning from an anonymous commenter corrected me on Adrian Smith's voting record in Congress and I must apologize for my gross error and set the record straight. I misread my source.

Again...my sincere apologies to Congressman Smith...and no...I do not "just make up stuff" in my postings. I strive to be 100% accurate.

Here are the facts...

Adrian Smith has only missed 31 of 3,385 (<1%) roll call votes since Jan 4, 2007. This is the 30th best voting record in Congress.

Adrian Smith has sponsored 11 bills since Jan 4, 2007 of which 10 haven't made it out of committee and none were successfully enacted. Smith has co-sponsored 261 bills during the same time period.

Smith votes the party line 97% of the time. He has one of the highest ratings for voting the Club for Growth way. He has one of the lowest bill sponsorship ratings, and lists himself as a cosponsor of a lot of bills if it appears they will pass.

He is not a leader. He is up in it nose deep, hoping no one will make waves. He comes back to the third district a lot, and preaches to the choir, telling them what they want to hear. To paraphrase what he told to the folks at Liberty college, "I plan on going to Congress and staying there a long time!!"

A lot of Third District Republicans are very disappointed in him. His production in Congress almost mirrors his production in the Nebraska Legislature.

If Dan Hill, or his supporters, thinks he's going to take on a leadership role right when he gets to D.C. their either a) lying, b) decieving themselves, or c) both! Come on people, there are 535 members of Congress. All of them type A personalities with strong inclinations toward taking the initiative when it comes to leadership. Hill will have to get in line whether he likes it or not.